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Rioja for Ballers

I have never done a full spread offer on such an array of amazing Rioja before, outside of the occasional offer of a few  La Rioja Alta and Lopez de Heredia releases.  When i saw these wines available from what are considered top 5 producers in Spain like Muga, Cuentevinas, and Sierra Cantabria, I was taken back.

These wines represent the very best of Rioja—one of Spain’s most celebrated and historic wine regions. Each bottle on this page reflects a relentless commitment to quality, precision, and terroir. Early in the 90s, when some of these wines were first introduced, shaped what Rioja has become today--both with a focus on single vineyards, a revolutionized approach to winemaking and farming, and the proper utilization of extremely old vines.  You see some resemblances in these wines as you would some of the Iconic producers of Barolo and Barbaresco.  

These are benchmark wines for the region, many with very high scores, including some 100 pointers like Magico and San Vicente 2021, collectible wines for the cellar, vertical packs with vintages back to 1994, as well as some very good values--like the Sierra Cantabria Unico 2020 which I LOVED when I tasted it, which received a glowing review and top 100 Wine of the Year award.  

From old-vine Tempranillo grown on limestone and clay soils to meticulously aged reservas and gran reservas, this offer showcases Rioja at its highest level—serious, age-worthy wines from producers whose reputations define the region itself.

A note on San Vincente: A project started by the Eguren family, a multi-generational winemaking dynasty with roots in Rioja, Spain, dating back to the 1870s, who's started Sierra Cantabria. In the early 90s, they started San Vincente.  These wines represent an approach to Rioja that none had done before-- single vineyard Rioja did not exist before this. From one single terroir that happened to be the best of the region, not following the Rioja classification system beholden upon the region that forced Rioja producers to make the wines according to the rules, not how producers wanted to or felt like were best for their wines.  Many followed suit after San Vincente, losing the certifications of riserva and gran riserva, while still keeping their classic wines of Sierra Cantabria.

A note on Muga: Founded in 1932, from the same Rioja subzone as fellow icons Lopez de Heredia and CUNE. They are considered an Iconic, original founding member of Rioja.  They follow the Rioja rules, with the exception of Torre Muga, which was inspired by San Vincente--it bucks the system and they make the wine the way they want to.  Always 100% aged in French Oak, from their own cooperage. Prado Enea is their hyper traditional Gran Riserva aged in 80% French and 20% American oak.

A note on Cuentevinas:  Also from Eguren Family,  this is a new personal project of their son, who left the winery to start Cuentevinas  in 2018 with 3 spectacular sites inherited by his grandfather.  Before joining his family's business, he staged at Artadi, Domaine de La Cote, Piedresassi, and Stolpman with superstar Sashi Moorman. Total production of this estate when he started was under 5000 bottles at its inception.  He has vines planted back to the 1920s, utilizing large foudres and French barriques and puncheons, basket pressed, aging is done in an 18th century cave. Plowing is done by horse.  There is no Rioja riserva classications here, all wines are aged as he wants. 

One note on the vertical packs...
Early on, with some of the 90s and early 2000s bottlings here, I feel that these wines did not appeal to the Robert Parkers of the world, who at this time were chasing the 17% alcohol Chateauneufs, the high octane 100% double oaked Cali Cabs and Syrahs, and the over-manipulated Bordeauxs.  These wines represented the old world, the finesse, the complexity, that you would find in old world wines, and I do not think that their scores and reviews should be taken seriously.  And while they all have scores in the 90s (some up to the high 90s), i don't feel that they knew what to do with these wines back then, with some reviewers giving them a decade drinking window, which is dumb.  Rather, if you look at how these wines are drinking now on public forums (wineberserkers, cellrtracker, etc), they are gushed over to this day.  So please do not go searching out a score on these wines from the late 90s and 2000s, and if you do, use them as a complement to what the reviews are saying now from people that are actually drinking them.  These vertical packs were just released from the winery, and have perfect provenance and would not be released or held this long if the wineries did not think they were magnificent.  Consider these in the same vein as old Lopez de Heredia released.  Amazing wines.

All vertical packs are sold as a set, and can not be broken up. Quantities on these are very limited.

Wines arrive this week

Happy shopping!

All prices are discounted heavily and are offered at some of the lowest prices in the USA!

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